


take care, secret admirer

by Anonymous



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Arthritis, College, Love Letters, M/M, Meet-Cute, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 22:55:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29375286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: oikawa is no stranger to love letters.the one he finds slipped underneath his door, however, is far more interesting than he could imagine
Relationships: Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 27
Collections: OiSuga Valentines Exchange 2021





	take care, secret admirer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stupidguin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stupidguin/gifts).



Oikawa comes home from practice one day to find a letter shoved into the slit in his dorm’s door. It has nothing of note on the envelope, no stamp or address,  just a neatly-written ‘please read in private.’

He is no stranger to love letters. He has gotten past his high school desire for them, boxed away all the people who used to like him and has started anew.  Since starting college, Oikawa has received four letters, before this one, but none of them have piqued his interest .

This one,  however , is different. 

_Dear Reader, I’m sad to say I don’t know your name. Someone said it was Oikawa, but I would hate to address you incorrectly. Especially because you probably don’t even know I exist. This probably isn’t the first time you’ve received a love letter. Who am I kidding? You’re gorgeous. You seem like the kind of person that had a fan club in high school, right? _

_I guess that doesn’t matter. I just wanted to say that I think I have a crush on you. I say ‘I think’ because I’m not sure if it’s a crush or just my reaction to seeing someone so attractive. This is not the first time I have been attracted to another man, but the feeling is a lot different. You seem like someone I want to get to know, but I am far too afraid to approach you. I feel we are in very different realms of the social sphere, at least. _

_Please leave this letter just outside your door if this is most definitely unwanted. I will not send you another letter if you don’t want me to._

_Take care,  
Secret admirer. _

Oikawa has not received a love letter from a man before, at least not one that  was unexpected . A boy in his volleyball team in high school gave him a love letter the day of his graduation. But by the way he gave him puppy eyes, and clung to him whenever he got the chance, it was not a surprise.

He makes it his goal - whether for better or worse - to track down whoever gave him the letter.

He knows at least one of his friends knows who this person is. There is no way, unless he is some creepy stalker, he’d know what room Oikawa is in, or when he’d be out. Yet everyone refuses to acknowledge they had anything to do with it. Not even bribes of money and food tempted them, not even Matsukawa. It left him frustrated. 

* * *

He does not return the letter to the floor outside his apartment, instead leaving it, half-open, on his desk. Every so often he takes a break from his maths work to look at it, neat handwriting almost taunting.  He awaits his next letter soon,  hopefully , rushing to get back to his dorm after training and classes to check .

It has been a week.

The word has spread that he has received a new letter and had not immediately rejected the person. Despite that, no one has come forward with any information about who the person could be.  Oikawa spends his time in class half focused now, gazing around the study hall at everyone who might have sent him the letter .

_Not that person_ , he thinks, reading their less-than-satisfactory handwriting.  _Not that person either_ , watching a person take selfies in the back of the room.

He wonders what the man looks like.  Maybe he is tall, muscular, but too shy to step forward.  Maybe he is very attractive but doesn’t realise it,  maybe he is less attractive but has a great personality. Oikawa does not have a type of man he likes most, at least appearance-wise.  They can’t be more attractive than him, but as long as he is able to hang off their arm and flirt  unrelentingly , there is not a whole lot that bothers him .

The professor announces a quiz, which brings Oikawa back into reality. He needs to study for it tonight. It’s vital that he puts effort in, or he’ll fail.

Instead, when he returns home, he finds another letter. 

_Dear Oikawa,_

_News has spread around campus about this letter. Apparently, you have more people interested in you than I once thought._

_I attended your game last night. I thought you played well, in particular your quick sets with that #8. I heard a while ago that you have a knee injury, but that didn’t seem to bother you. I understand now why our team does so well._

_I used to play volleyball, back in high school. But I grew old too soon, unfortunately, and while I don’t think I’m any older than you, I certainly feel it._

_I assume that because you didn’t return my letter you are okay with me sending more. I like to be able to put my feelings into words like this and tell you, even if you don’t know who I am. Maybe if you were less popular I would have approached you already. Though, the girls in my class were gossiping about the first letter. I’m afraid I won’t live up to anyone’s expectations. I am not unapproachable, but I don’t have a big social circle. I don’t think I would cope having my name spread across the campus when so few people know it right now. _

_I should be going. My hands are sore from a long day of work. Look after yourself,_

_Secret admirer._

* * *

A week after he receives his love letter, he bumps into a student on his way to class. He is shorter, though not by much. His hair is grey, in a similar style to Oikawa’s, though  slightly longer at the back. There’s a distinctive mole under his eye. It’s cute.

“Sorry,” the man says, far more shaken than Oikawa is.  He has half a mind to ask if he’s okay, but before he can open his mouth to speak the man has disappeared into the crowd of students moving the other direction .

* * *

Oikawa does not tell anyone about the second, third, or fourth letter, or any of the ones after. They are coming more  frequently now, every few days, but there is comfort in the routine.

He learns a lot about the man writing them. He is an art student, though Oikawa does not know what degree  specifically .  Shy as he is, Oikawa’s secret admirer doesn’t seem like the kind of person to be doing anything in the performing arts at least .

The college they both attend is a mixed science and arts school in an older district. The science half of the college on one side of the road, and the art side on the other.  It was Oikawa’s first choice, renowned for high-quality teaching as well as a college volleyball team that is second to none . 

He also learns that his secret admirer suffers from arthritis, something that stopped him from playing volleyball  just after highschool .  It is strange to get it so young, Oikawa thinks, but there is nothing to suggest that his secret admirer is much older than he is . 

* * *

Life continues on as normal, aside from the letters and the growing feelings of affection for the man writing them . Oikawa has no clue what he looks like, nor has he ever actually spoken to the man. But something about the way he writes has Oikawa far more interested than he would care to admit.  He speaks of things more romantic than Oikawa has ever read outside of Japanese class; recounting the rain on the balcony of his dorm and the smell of his roommate’s cooking as if they are small pieces of heaven .

It is difficult for Oikawa to see life with so much beauty, and he has a hard time understanding how this man does. How could you see the perfections of life through  all of the grime?

He is not a pessimist, at least he doesn’t think he is, but he still finds himself beginning to see the world as gentle as the letters describe it, more gentle than he ever would before .

One day, when the clouds are settling in after a long time of sun, he thinks of the pretty patterns of light they spread around the sky; the soft-looking curves and their intricacies . There is beauty in the small things.  He hears the sound of footsteps approaching the door to his dorm, and he gets up and rushes to greet the man they belong to . The letter slips through the slit in the door. By the time he opens it, there is no one there. 

With a sigh of defeat, he closes the door again. 

_Oikawa,_

_We’ve officially met now. That probably gives it away._

_You look prettier up close. You seemed shocked that I bumped into you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, but I guess I have finally gotten the chance to see you from closer than the other side of the courtyard._

_I have to admit I wasn’t looking my best that day, either. I’d barely slept the night before and didn’t have time to put any nice clothes on._

_It’s alright though, it was nice to see you anyways. I hope it isn’t the last time we meet, though. I’d like to think sometime soon we’ll meet properly. I think you would have said something by now if you didn’t want to, right?_

_I was thinking next Friday, after your volleyball training. Gives us both enough time to think things over._

_Take care,_

_K._

Next Friday. Ten days away. It doesn’t seem like much,  truly , but Oikawa feels the nerves beginning to rise already. These letters have been coming for months now, he’s even sent a few in return.  He leaves them half under his door, a small smiley face drawn on the edge sticking out so the other man knew it wasn’t anything to worry about .

Taking a pen and a spare piece of paper from his desk, he sat down to write. 

_K,_

_Is that one of your initials? I guess I’ll find out soon enough._

_I’d love to meet you. If I see you around campus before then, though, I don’t know if I’d be able to keep myself from saying hello._

_Take care until then,_

_Tooru._

* * *

He keeps an eye out as he travels around the campus, but there is no sign of K. He asks his friends if they know anyone who looks like he describes, but to no avail - it appears there is no way to meet his secret admirer before that Friday .

During training, he is only half concentrated on what he’s doing. The nerves are sitting in his throat, making his hands shake a little. Why is this stressing him out so much?

_It’s just a guy. Who likes you. And you like him too, _ he tries to reassure himself, though it does little to help. If anything, it makes him more nervous.

Fresh from an after-training shower, Oikawa says goodbye to his coach and team and leaves the gymnasium, looking around for K .

For a moment, he doesn’t see anyone. His heart sinks a little - what if it was all  just a joke?

“I’m here,” a quiet voice says beside him, causing him to jump. He turns to look. It’s the man he bumped into a few weeks ago.  He’s still a little rough around the edges; glasses  slightly lopsided, hair unstyled, his collar is not  properly folded .

It’s endearing.

“I’m Koushi,” the man says, a smile follows, “Sugawara Koushi.”

Oikawa grins, heart warm, “I’m Tooru. Nice to meet you.”

**Author's Note:**

> hi devon ! i hope you enjoyed this. it was the first thing i've written in a while so i hope it was still fun to read and fulfilled your prompt :D


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